(May 24, 1857 - August 30, 1907)
Richard Mansfield was an American actor best known for his performances in comic opera; serious, detailed portraits of historical and Shakespearean figures; and lavish embodiments of eccentric literary characters, as well as for the self-reliance that made him difficult to work with. Born into a musical family in Berlin, Mansfield followed his mother onto the London and New York operetta stages. He originated the role of Gilbert and Sullivan's "very model of a major general," Major General Stanley, and played several other such "patter" roles on tour throughout Britain. Even John Ranken Towse, one of his harshest critics, had to admit that Mansfield's "voice was deep, resonant, and musical – few actors have been gifted with a finer organ." 1
Mansfield's most notable mid-career work included Shakespeare's hunchback Richard III and Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde, the role with which he was most closely associated. His London performance of this frightful murderer, which coincided with Jack the Ripper's prostitute-murdering spree, was convincing enough to make some audience members fear that Mansfield himself was the Ripper.
As the turn of the century approached, changing tastes left Mansfield in need of a new type of role, and it was largely through Mansfield that the work of Ibsen and Shaw were introduced to American audiences; he produced and performed in Shaw's Arms and the Man in 1894 and appeared as Ibsen's Peer Gynt shortly before his death in 1907. The New York Times proclaimed that "As an interpreter of Shakespeare, he had no living equal in his later days, as witnessed by the princely grace, the tragic force of his Richard, his thrilling acting in the tent scene of Caesar, the soldierly dignity and eloquence of his Prince Hal, and the pathos of the prayer in that play. He was the greatest actor of his hour, and one of the greatest of all times." 2
1. Turney.
2. Wikipedia.org.
Resources
Towse, John Ranken. Sixty Years of the Theater: An Old Critic's Memories. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1916.
One chapter of Towse's "memories" is devoted to the critic's harsh descriptions of Mansfield and his work.
Turney, Wayne S. "Richard Mansfield: A Glimpse of Theatre History." 7 July 2008. http://www.wayneturney.20m.com/mansfieldrichard.htm.
This brief biography includes several photographs of the costumed actor as well as excerpts from first-hand descriptions of his work.
Wilstach, Paul. Richard Mansfield: The Man and the Actor. New York: Scribner's, 1908.
The earliest biography of Mansfield appearing the year after his death.
Winter, William. The Life and Art of Richard Mansfield. 2 vols. New York: Moffit, Yard & Co., 1910.
This extensive biography, which chronicles Mansfield's life and career in great detail, was commissioned by the actor himself.